Method of reclaiming and means for reenforcing cast side frames for car trucks



July 21, 1925. 1,546,724

' J. F. FORD ET AL METHOD OF RECILAIMING AND MEANS FOR REENFORCING CASTSIDE FRAMES FOR CAR TRUCKS Filed July 5, 1923 J? INVENTOR W BY M KATVTORNE EY' Patented July 21, 1925.

UNITED STATES 1,546,724 PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN F. FORD AND JOHN J. TATUM, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

METHOD OF RECLAIMING AND ll'lIEANS FOR BEEN FORCING CAST SIDE FRAMES FORGAR TRUCKS.

Application filed July 3, 1923. Serial No. 649,264.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JOHN F. FORD and JOHN J. TATUM, citizens of theUnited States, residing at Baltimore, in the State 5 of Maryland,have-invented certain new and useful Improvements in Methods ofReclaiming and Means for Reenforcing Cast Side Frames for Car Trucks;and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same.

Our invention relates to a method of reclaiming and means forre-enforcing cast side frames for car trucks.

Cast side frames are largely used for railway car trucks both in thebuilding of new trucks and in the replacement of side frames 20 of othertypes when the trucks are being repaired.

The cast side frames, which are usually formed of steel, but may be ofany suitable material, sometimes fail in service by cracking, whichcracks are principally due to the metal being honey-combed in structureor to an incipient crack which forms when the metal of the frame iscooling after being cast. Heretofore when cracking occurred, side framesof this type have been repaired by the process of autogenously weldingthe parts together. In practice it has been found very diflicult toinsure uniformity of the welds owing to the fact that the metal used inthe welding process was not of uni- .formly high quality and also to thefact there might be a honey-combed structure of the metal each side ofthe crack, and as a consequence, the side frames frequently failed afterrepairing. The failure of a side frame of a car truck causesconsiderable damage.

Among the objects of our invention are To provide a method forreclaiming deformed or fractured cast side frames of car trucks, whichconsists in removing the deformation or autogenously welding the cracksas the case may be and then applying to the side member a bottom archbar which, in itself, may be sufliciently strong to stand all thestresses applied to the side frames by the axle boxes and king pin orwhich may have any approved capacity for resisting stresses, butwhatever the strength of the 55 bottom arch bar its strength is additiveto the strength of the side frame after repair so to greatly increasethe factor of safety.

To provide a means for re-enforcing cast side frames for car trucks soas to insure that deformation or a fracture of the same will not occureven though the material of said side frame be defective.

In carrying out our invention, we proceed according to the method setforth in the following specification and use the instrumentalitiesishown in the accompanying drawings, in which 1- Figure 1 is a view of aside frame of a car truck which has been reclaimed by our improvedmethod and has our improved reenforcing means applied thereto.

Fig. 2 is a section along the line in ig. 1 looking in the direction ofthe arrows. Fig. 3 is a section similar to Fig. 2 but showing are-enforcin means that is formed of a channel bar.

4 is a section similar to Fig. 2 but showing a re-enforcing means thatis formed of an angle bar. v i

In the drawings 5 represents a cast side frame for a car truck. Themetal that is employed is usually of steel and at times there areshrinkage cracks therein which occur when the side frame is coolingafter being cast. Other defects in the material are honeycombed portionswhich have a strength greatly below what they would have if they wereformed of sound metal. Side frames having these defects fail in practiceand it becomes necessary to repair or reclaim the same.

In carrying out our method for reclaiming damaged side frames, we put inproper shape any parts that may be deformed by bending or twisting andrepair by an autog enous or other weld any cracks or fractures that mayexist. We then remove the under surfaces 6,7, 8, 9 and 10 of the sideframe any projections that may exist thereon and fit to said surfacesour re-enforcing means or bottom arch bar 11 which is preferablycomposed of a rolled bar having a high tensile strength. The bar 11 isto be provided withholes for the reception of the bolts 12 which securethe axle boxes 13 to the side frame 5. The axle boxes 13-13 may be tiedtogether by the brace bar 14 secured thereto by the bolts 12, ifdesired.

The bar 11 is rectangular in section, but

it may be made a channel in cross section. such as is shown at 15 inFig. 3, or it may be angular in cross section as shown at 16 in Fig. 4.

Our re-enforcing means such as 11, 15 and 16 may be applied to new sideframes 5, if desired.

Thus it will be seen that our invention resides in a. method ofreclaiming side frames of car trucks which includes a provision of are-enforcing means for side frames so that even if there are defects inthe material of the latter after reclamation, the joint strength of theside frame and our re-enforcing means will be sufficientlygreat toresist all stresses to which they may be subjected.

It is to be noted that while we have shown our improved method ascomprehending the attachment of an arch bar to the bottom surface ofcast metal frame, yet it is to be understood that this is for purposesof illustration only for the arch bar which we have shown as fitted tothe bottom surface is merely a representative of any form ofreenforcement that might, in itself, sustain all or part of the stressesapplied to the east side frame whether such reenforcement be applied tothe bottom surface of the side frame or any other part thereof.

lVe claim 1. The herein described method of reclaiming damaged cast sideframes for car trucks which consists in repairing the damage and thenapplying an arch bar to the bottom of said frame.

2. The herein described method of re claiming damaged east side framesfor can trucks which consists in repairing the damage and then applyingan arch bar to the. bottom of said frame, said bar having sulficientstrength to resist the normal stresses applied to said frame.

3. The herein described method of reclaiming cracked cast side framesfor car trucks which consists in welding together the ends at the crackand then applying a bottom arch bar to said frame.

4-. The herein described method of re claiming deformed cast side framesfor car trucks which consists in reforming said frame and then applyingan arch bar to the bottom of said frame.

The herein described method of reclaiming damaged cast side frames forcar trucks which consists in repairing the damage, removing projectionsfrom the bottom surfaces of said frame, and then applying an arch bar tothe bottom of said surfaces.

6. In a car truck the combination of a east side frame and areenforcement consisting of a rolled metal arch bar fitted to the bottomsurfaces of said frame.

7. Tn a car truck the combination of a. cast side frame and areenforcement consisting of a rolled meta-l arch bar fitted to saidframe.

8. The herein described method of reclaiming dan'iaged east side framesfor car trucks which consists in repairing the damage and then applyinga rolled metal reenforcement to said frame.

In testimony whereof, we affix our signature.

JOHN F. FORD. J OHN J. TATUM.

